US781399A - Cotton-chopper. - Google Patents

Description

PATENTED JAN.'31, 1905.

JqA. BUTTS. I COTTON CHOPPER. AlPLIGATION FILED OCT. 13, 1904.

No; 781,399. PATENTED JAN. 31, 19 05. I

. J. A; BUTTS.

GOTTON CHOPPER.

: APPLIGATION FILED 0UT;13. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SEEET 2.

I INVENTTR UNITED STATES Patented January 31, 1905.

PATENT OFF-ICE.

COTTON-CHOPPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,399, dated January 1905.

Application filed October 18,1904. Serial No. 228,291.

Georgia, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Cotton-Ghoppersj and I do declare the following to bea full, clear, and

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and

to the letters of reference marked thereon,

which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in cotton-choppers; and 1t has for its ob ect, among others, the pro- V1s1on of a simple, inexpensive, and serviceable machine of this character involving a construction in which the cutting-blade is positioned between the driving-wheels and in advance of the seat of the operatomso that the operation of the cutting-blade is at all times visible and its guidance readily controlled by the operator. provided in advance of and-in the direct line of travel of the cutting-blade, this wheel serving to indicate at all times the direct line of the chopper.

The invention further resides in the provision of a lever-actuated mechanism for throw- "ing the chopping-blade into and out of serve. ice and also in the provision of mechanism whereby the chopper may be raised or lowered, as desired, in order to escape stones or. other obstructions.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification, and in whic Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal section taken through a cotton-chopper constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation. Fig. 3 is a top plan View, and Fig.4 is a rear elevation, of the same. Fig. 5 is a perspective View of my invention, portions of the sleeves being broken away.

Reference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A A represent the driving-wheels of the machin'e,which are jour- A guide-wheel is naled upon the curved axle B, anda seat C is secured to the free end of a yielding metallic strip G, the forward end of which is securely bolted to the'rear portion of the frame D.

E is a guide-wheel which is journaled in the bifurcated lower end of a support E, the up per end of which is bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the forward end of the frame D. It will be noted that the said guide-wheel E is positioned at apoint slightly to one side of the longitudinal center of the machine.

E is a shaft journale'd at its forward end in openings provided in bifurcated ends F of'a depending support F, said shaft having a bearing within a vertical slot or loop H and the said shaft having attached thereto a rotatable chopping-knife H.

Between the bifurcated'ends F of the member F is provided a sprocket-wheel I, the said wheel being journaled upon the forward end of the shaft Eaas slio Wn. Around this sprocketwheel I and around a sprocket-wheel K upon chain L, traveling over auidler T. Journaled uponthe shaft K is a beveled gearwheelM, which meshes with a gear-wheel M, having a hub portion 0 with a serrated edge designed to receive amovable clutchcollar 0, which is moved longitudinally upon the axle by means of an angle-lever 0 the mounted upon "a pivot-pin N carried by the bar N which is secured to the frame of the apparatus, and said angle-lever O is also piv- .a longitudinal shaft K. is passed a sprocketotally connected upon the pin N, as shown clearly in Fig. 50f the drawings, while the downwardly-extending end of the lever O is pivotally connected at N with the lever N, whereby as said lever N is thrown in one direction or the other the clutch-collar 0 will be thrown into or out of engagement with the serrated hub 0 upon the gear-wheel M.

In order to raise and lower the shaft carrying the chopping-knife, I provide the fol- I lowing mechanism, comprising the upright posts P, whlch T188 from the frame D and which posts are connected by a cross-piece P and suitably braced by the bars P Upon each of said posts is a sleeve P, and P designates a bar having a vertical play upon said posts and has its ends downwardly bent and pivotally connected at P to the links P, the lower end of one of said links being pivotally connected to the angle-lever Q, mounted upon the frame of the machine. Mounted upon the frame is a notched segment Q and a pawl Q is connected to rod Q and is designed to engage the notch in said segment, while a handlever Q, pivotally connected to the lever Q,has connection with said rod Q Depending from the bar P is an arm P, which is pivotally connected to the upper end of the bar F. By this construction it will be observed that the shaft carrying the chopper may be raised or lowered by the simple manipulation of the lever mechanism shown and described.

From the foregoing description the operation of the device will be at once readily understood.

It will be seen that in use the seat is so positioned that the operator is directly above his work and is within full view of all parts of the machine, the guide-wheel being in ad- Vance of and in line with the chopper or hoe and indicating at all times the line of travel of the hoe, so that the same may be maintained at the desired or proper distance from the row of cotton under cultivation. By

means of the lever mechanism for engaging and disengaging the clutch mechanism at one side of the machine the same may be thrown out of gear very readily when it may be desired to move the machine from place to place without imparting a rotary movement to the chopper or hoe.

Having thus described my invention, what [claim to be new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

A cotton-chopper comprising a frame, an axle and driving-wheels, a clutch-collar splined to the hub of one of said wheels, an anglelever having a bifurcated end swiveled to said clutch-collar, a gear-wheel journaled upon said axle and having a hub with serrations or teeth upon one edge thereof and adapted for engagement with said clutch-collar, a bevel gear-wheel and sprocket-wheel mounted upon a suitable stub-shaft, a vertically-movable bar having its lower end bifurcated, a shaft journaled in the arms of the bifurcated end of said bar, a guide for the opposite end of said shaft carried by said bar, a sprocket-wheel fixed to said shaft and mounted between the arms of the bifurcated end of the bar, a sprocket-chain connecting said sprocket-wheels, a chopper carried by said shaft, posts rising from the frame, a bar having angled ends mounted upon said posts, a lever pivoted to the frame and having link connections with said angled bar, said bar carrying said shaft being pivotally connected to the angled bar mounted to have a vertical play upon said posts, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN ALISON BUT'lTS.

Witnesses:

W. B. HoLMns, B. L. HUMPHREY.

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